Ibtisam Mara'ana-Menuhin (Arabic: ابتسام مراعنة منوحين, Hebrew: אִבְּתִיסָאם מַרְאַעְנֶּה־מְנוֹחִין) is an Israeli Arab politician, film director, and producer.[1] She is currently a member of the Knesset for the Labor Party.
Ibtisam Mara'ana | |
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Faction represented in the Knesset | |
2021– | Labor Party |
Personal details | |
Born | (1975-10-14) 14 October 1975 (age 47) Fureidis, Israel |
Occupation | Filmmaker |
Ibtisam Mara'ana was born in 1975 in Fureidis, a Muslim Arab village in northern Israel. She attended film school at Givat Haviva.[2] In 2000 she initiated a film and television program at her former high school in Fureidis.
In June 2014, Mara'ana married Boaz Menuhin, a Jewish Israeli man.[3] The couple has a daughter. The marriage was sealed in Tel Aviv in a non-religious ceremony, and is therefore not officially recognised in Israel,[3]
In 2003 Mara'ana founded Ibtisam Films, to produce documentaries that investigate the borders and boundaries of Palestinian and Israeli society, with a focus on women and minorities. Her work explores gender, class, racism, and collective and individual identity. Her films show the plight of Arab-Palestinians living as a minority within Israel, while, at the same time, critique deep-rooted practices within Arab-Palestinian society. Her work has been screened on television and at festivals worldwide.[4]
Mara'ana teaches at various educational institutions, including the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem. As a feminist activist, she appears at universities and conferences as a public speaker, and has published numerous articles in Israeli newspapers. In 2009, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz named Mara'ana as one of the 10 most influential women in Israel.
In 2011 Druze-Israeli Jamila "Maya" Fares, the sister of Angelina Fares, the subject of Mara’ana's Lady Kul El Arab documentary, was murdered in an honour killing. In response to the murder, Mara'ana created a foundation to support Arab women fleeing gender-based violence in Israel.[5][6]
Prior to the 2009 Knesset elections Mara'ana was placed twelfth on the Meretz list. However, she withdrew her candidacy shortly before to the elections after Meretz expressed support for Operation Cast Lead in Gaza.[7]
In January 2021, Mara'ana ran in the Israeli Labor Party primaries, and placed seventh on the party's list for the March 2021 elections.[8] On 17 February Mara'ana was disqualified from running in the election by the Central Elections Committee by a 16–15 vote, with two abstentions, citing anti-Zionist remarks, as well as her public refusal in 2012 to observe the Memorial Day siren – she later apologized for the latter. The disqualification was subsequently repealed by the Supreme Court.[9][10] She was subsequently elected to the Knesset as the Labor Party won seven seats, becoming the first Knesset member in a mixed Jewish-Muslim relationship.[11]
In 2017, Mara'ana received an honorary degree from the British Open University.
Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
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2003 | Docaviv | Best Debut Film | Paradise Lost | Won |
Best Cinematography | Paradise Lost | Won | ||
International Women's Film Festival in Rehovot | Best Documen | Paradise Lost | Won | |
2005 | Lady Globes | 50 Most Influential Women in Israel[19] | Won | |
Jerusalem Film Festival | Film Art Prize | Badal | Won | |
2006 | HotDocs | Best Mid-Length Documentary[20] | Badal | Won |
Sole e Luna Doc Fest | First Prize[21] | Badal | Won | |
Jerusalem Film Festival | Spirit of Freedom | Badal | Won | |
Award of the Mayor of Olomouc, Czech Republic | Badal | Won | ||
2007 | Docaviv | Best Film[22] | Three Times Divorced | Won |
Award of the Israeli Film Academy | Best Documentary | Three Times Divorced | Nominated | |
2008 | Fippa-Biarritz International Film Festival | Silver Award[23] | Three Times Divorced | Won |
IDFA | Special Jury Award Silver Wolf Competition[24] | Lady Kul el-Arab | Won | |
The Marker | 40 Most Influential Women in Israel | Won | ||
International Women’s Film Festival in New Delhi | Best Director | Won | ||
2010 | International Documentary Association | IDA Award | Continuing series, Wide Angle (2002) for episodes: "Contestant No.2", "Heart of Jenin", "Crossing Heaven' s Border", and "Once Upon a Coup" |
Nominated |
2019 | Sami Michael Award for Equality and Social Justice | Won |
Current members of the Knesset | |
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Likud |
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Yesh Atid | |
Shas |
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Blue and White |
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Labor | |
Religious Zionist Party |
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United Torah Judaism |
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Yisrael Beiteinu |
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Joint List |
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New Hope |
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Meretz |
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Yamina |
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United Arab List |
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National Unity Party |
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Economic Freedom Party |
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